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Monday, December 16, 2013

Artesans of Albia !!!

Hey! Milady here, with an exciting
and thrillingpost... my first blog tour! I
am honored to be part of the Artisans of Albia tour celebrating the release of
the first trilogy which I definitely recommend for you to read. Cas Peace’s
novels are exciting, filled with battles ,romance, anda lot of world building. It has an
old fashioned fantasy feelabout it, reminiscent to some
of the classics, and strong heroic female characters. This
series is a must have for fans of Tamera Pierce or Lord of the Rings.

I have a synopsis of the series for
you to read right hereand the youtube
trailer for the trilogy.

On a foolhardy foray into a foreign realm,
Taran Elijah is attacked by a terrible weapon known as the Staff. Killing its
wielder, he escapes into Albia, inadvertantly carrying the Staff.

Concerned by the vicious raids that
follow Taran's actions, Major Sullyan of the High King's forces crosses into
Andaryon to seek diplomatic resolution to the crisis. She is captured and
tortured by Lord Rykan, aspirant to the Andaryon throne.

Slowly dying, Sullyan escapes his
clutches. She offers her skills to the Hierarch in defense of his throne,
finally confronting Rykan on the field of battle.

Her handsome Captain and lover,
Robin Tamsen, embarks on a desperate quest to recover the Staff. But Rykan's
greedy General, Sonten, is two steps ahead of him. If Robin cannot lay hold of
the weapon before Sonten does, Sullyan's life and the lives of all Artesans are
forfeit.

The race for the Staff has begun.

Also I have been lucky enough to get a character interview which I am excited to show you ! I am here now
introducing Miss Rienne Arlen!

Q: So Rienne, you are a healer. Was that something you
always wanted to be?

A: I
suppose so. I can't really remember ever thinking about being anything else.
You see, I am my parents' youngest child, and I have five older brothers. Five
boys who were all more boisterous, more confident, more capable than I was. I'm
not saying I was neglected, not at all, but my brothers always seemed to get
the best of everything. Don't get me wrong, I love them, every one, but they
were a bit overpowering!

Because
of that, I was often left to my own devices. There was a lovely old lady in our
village who was our healer. She was always very kind to me. I think she tried
to make up for what she thought I missed out on. She often took me around the
village with her when she saw her patients, and I suppose I naturally soaked up
the things she did and said. I seemed to have an instinct for it. When I was
old enough, she started letting me help prepare the milder medicines and
ointments, and I found I loved mixing potions and gathering herbs. I simply
seemed to know what herbs and medicines would cure specific ailments. It all
grew from there, I suppose.

Q:Did you have to train anywhere else before becoming
a fully-fledged healer?

A:

Not really. There are no schools for healers in Albia.
Oh, I suppose there might be one in the capitol, Port Loxton; I expect our High
King has a very skilled healer. But there are no teachers for village healers,
only those already doing that job. Who better to train you than someone who has
such a wealth of experience?

Q:

But you didn't stay in your village to take over from
that old lady, did you? What made you leave?

A:

Once I felt enough confidence in my healing abilities,
I wanted to push myself. I knew there must be greater healing challenges out
there than the minor ailments, injuries and diseases I'd seen at home. And we
didn't really have enough work for more than one healer - except during
harvest, of course! But by this time I didn't want to be just a harvest time
healer.Also, I knew something of the
other towns and villages in Loxton Province, and I wanted to see them. Healers
are almost always welcome, so I knew I could make some kind of living while I
was searching for somewhere to settle.

Q:

Wasn't it dangerous, traveling alone like that?

A:

Not really. Albia is quite peaceful, except for the
odd band of raiders, or outlanders from another realm. Our High King, Elias,
shook up all the garrisons in Loxton Province after the civil war, and his
Kingsmen are very skilled swordsmen. They might be a bit rough and ready, but
they know how to keep the peace! I wasn't worried about being attacked.

Q:

So how did you meet Cal, your life mate?

A:

He's cute, isn't he? Have you ever seen such long eyelashes?
Many a maid has wished she had lashes like his! Oh, sorry - I got a bit
sidetracked there!

I met
Cal the first time I arrived in Hyecombe village. I hadn't actually meant to
stop in Hyecombe, but I was thirsty and they had an inn. I stopped for some
lunch and a drink, and as I was sitting outside in the sun, this gorgeous,
dark-skinned lad with wonderful eyes came over. He was quite shy at first, like
me, but we got talking very quickly. He told me about his early childhood. His
parents were appalled to find that their young son had the Artesan gift - some
people are frightened of the gifted, you know - and they more or less abandoned
him. He started thieving, and eventually fell in with a band of
Roamerlings.You know what they're like
- they do love to steal, and Cal fit right in. Then, one winter a few years
later, when his adoptive band came to Albia to escape Endormir's terrible
weather, they came here, to Hyecombe. A man called Taran, who was also an
Artesan, recognized a kindred spirit in Cal and offered him a home. When I met
him, I liked him at once, and when Cal asked me to stay and be Hyecombe's
healer, Taran took me in, too. And there we are!

Q:

And now you are the personal healer to Major Sullyan.
What's that like?

A:

It's amazing. Sullyan, and the Manor, have given me
everything I could have wished for. I always knew I had an instinctive gift for
healing, but I never imagined it was akin to the Artesan gift. I'm empathic,
apparently, which is why I often know exactly how to treat diseases. And
because I have this incredible bond with Sullyan, I often know what ails her
before she knows it herself. Me and Cal have found a forever home at the Manor
- I can't imagine ever leaving. I hope I never have to!

I hope so to! Thanks for bring here today Miss Rienne
Arlen!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Cas Peace was born in Hampshire UK, in 1957, and has lived
there most of her life. Her first career was as a horse-riding instructor, and
horses remain very close to her heart. She then spent 13 years working for the
British Civil Service before leaving the UK to live in Italy for three years,
1991-1994. She speaks passable but by no means perfect Italian, and loves to
return to Italy whenever she can.

Cas's other great loves are anything to do with
animals, especially dogs and horses, (she supports many animal charities) and
also singing. Cas loves folk songs and along with her husband, who plays
guitar, has performed in many a Southern England folk club. Sometimes they even
asked her back! She writes folk songs to accompany her fantasy novels, and
offers them as free downloads from her website.

Well I did it, my first blog tour. Bear with me for I am sure there
are some mistakes. Still it’s been exciting and a real joy to feature the Artesans
of Albia trilogy.Please leave a comment
to the author Cas Peace!